Non-destructive testing (NDT) is a common method of testing the integrity of a welded joint within a welded object. In some forms of NDT, energy propagated into a welded object yields a signal that can be displayed as a waveform image. This waveform image can be instructive of the condition of the welded joint. Such propagated energy may be in the form of electromagnetic waves or acoustic waves. One common form of NDT using acoustic waves is phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT). To inspect a welded joint by PAUT, a transducer and a wedge may be used to propagate acoustical signals towards a welded plane of a welded joint at various angles and patterns. Upon encountering the welded plane, if a discontinuity is present, the acoustical signals are reflected back towards the transducer where they are converted to electronic-amplitude signals and transmitted to a phased array testing instrument (PATI). The PATI generates a display of the reflected acoustical signals in various forms on ultrasound graphs. The displays and data represented thereby are not intuitive and comprehending the displays and data can be difficult for those not familiar with interpreting the results of ultrasonic testing.
In addition to the ultrasound graphs generated from the PAUT inspection, characteristics related to the welded object, the welded joint and the equipment used during the PAUT inspection are normally captured for evaluation. In the prior art, software programs are able to generate a report containing this information for only a single weld. However, many times, a welded object may have a plurality of welded joints which require integrity testing. Depending on the relative size of the welded object, there may be tens or even hundreds of welded joints that need to be inspected. Given the potential volume of welded joints within a welded object, inspecting such joints individually using conventional solutions may be a very tedious and time-consuming process.